National Security Advisor Ajit Doval visited Saudi Arabia over the weekend to review the regional situation against the backdrop of conflict in West Asia and support India’s energy security.
Doval’s visit to Saudi Arabia on Sunday came close on the heels of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s trip to the UAE and Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri’s trip to Qatar. These visits are part of New Delhi’s outreach to major energy suppliers amid the turmoil caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Doval was received at Riyadh airport by Saudi Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Saud Al-Sati, who previously served as envoy to India.
He met with the Minister of Energy, Abdulaziz bin Salman, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Faisal bin Farhan, and the National Security Advisor, Musaed Al-Aiban. “During the meetings, they discussed bilateral relations, the regional situation and other issues of common interest,” the Indian Embassy in Riyadh said on social media, without going into details.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency said Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Doval “reviewed areas of cooperation and discussed the latest regional developments.”
Saudi Arabia is among the top three energy suppliers to India, along with Russia and Iraq. The kingdom is also home to about four million Indians.
The visits made by Indian leaders to West Asian countries aim to ensure the continuity of uninterrupted energy supplies and the well-being of the Indian community. New Delhi called for safe and unhindered passage of commercial shipping amid the conflict in West Asia and a return to dialogue and diplomacy to end hostilities.
